El Del’s De Gea warning

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque admits it will be difficult for him to select David de Gea in his European Championship squad if the keeper remains on the sidelines at Manchester United.

De Gea’s long-anticipated transfer to Real Madrid fell through on Monday due to miscommunication between the Spanish club and United and he will stay at Old Trafford until at least January.

The 24-year-old is in Del Bosque’s plans for this weekend’s Euro 2016 qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia, but could struggle to reach the finals in France if his absence from the United first team continues.

De Gea has yet to make appearance for Louis van Gaal’s side this season.

When asked if he would counsel the keeper about his current situation in Manchester, Del Bosque said: “No, but if I do feel the need to talk to him about it then I will say something.

“He needs to be professional and move on from this episode.

“I hope that he starts playing again and is happy, and if he plays well we can bring him along, otherwise if he doesn’t play it will be very difficult for him to come (o the Euros.”

De Gea has made five appearances for reigning European champions Spain, whose first-choice stopper remains Porto’s 162-time international Iker Casillas, formerly of Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, United expect De Gea to maintain his professionalism and fight for a first-team place at Old Trafford, despite seeing his dream move fall through.

The day after De Gea’s move to the Spanish capital was called off, United and Madrid blamed each other for the collapse of the deal.

Senior sources at Old Trafford think Madrid president Florentino Perez may have had second thoughts about the deal after the club’s fans expressed their dismay at the news that Navas was being used as part of the deal.

In a poll of over 55,000 Real Madrid fans on the Spanish newspaper website Marca, nearly 89 per cent said they did not agree with the idea of swapping De Gea for Navas, who starred in the club’s 5-0 over Real Betis on Saturday.

Once the international break is over, De Gea is expected back in Manchester.

Manager Louis van Gaal will attempt to reintegrate the goalkeeper back into the first-team squad.

The Dutchman has left De Gea out of his squad for the first six matches because he felt the player lacked focus.